Nine Souls Page 4

  I grinned, ignoring the people staring at us. “Looks like you saved me. How shall I ever repay you, My Lady?” I teased.

  “How about you don’t poke the dragon?” she murmured as the blade disappeared.

  I discreetly assessed her body as she helped me back up, making sure she wasn’t about to have a wardrobe malfunction – and that if she did, I would be ready to immediately assist her. She, of course, noticed my attention. She rolled her eyes, but she didn’t move my hands from her hip bone – which I had grasped for… support.

  She led me away from the concerned guests as if nothing significant had happened.

  “Speaking of, do you want to see a dragon?” I asked her, thinking out loud.

  “I’d rather dance,” she said, not looking at me, but instead sweeping the room with her eyes, either checking for danger or searching for Roland.

  “Well, you just noticed that I have two left feet.”

  “I’m willing to take that risk.” She turned to look at me then, and her eyes were deep, the purple flecks calling to me like flecks of gold in a forgotten mine. “Sweep me off my feet.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  The music abruptly cut off and a glass chimed as Tory signaled her speech. Callie sighed in regret. I could have sworn she muttered a profanity under her breath, but it sounded more like a meditative mantra. Maybe I just didn’t know the language she’d used.

  But if it was profanity, I agreed with it. Tory had just taken this dance from me. And, worse, I suddenly remembered that, as Best Man, I also had to give my speech. But with Zeus ruining the ceremony, I felt like changing my planned speech a bit. Which meant I would be winging it.

  Worst idea ever, right?

  “You better go,” Callie said with a sigh. “But I might be available for dragon stuff later.”

  I grinned. “Sweet.”

  There was an awkward pause, and then we both turned away from each other.

  I felt like I was in grade school again. Neither of us daring to make a move, but enjoying the other’s company. Oh well. It could wait. We would get our time. Some day. I hoped.

  Chapter 7

  I sat at the head table with the rest of the wedding party, listening as Tory spoke about Gunnar and Ashley. I didn’t hear much of it, because I was too busy thinking of what I wanted to say. I had already prepared a speech, but it hadn’t ever felt quite right to me. It wasn’t fresh. I’d said it all before, and this was their wedding. It felt hollow to repeat the same platitudes here, now.

  All too soon, Tory wrapped up and the guests gave light applause. Ashley’s eyes were misty and Gunnar was smiling at Tory.

  Tory had grown a lot since we first met – that night on the Eads Bridge where we had fought against a silver dragon during a high-speed car chase. Tory had never seen a dragon before, but that hadn’t stopped her from doing her best to help Gunnar and I kick its ass. Afterwards, Tory had taken the biggest risk of her life and revealed her powers to the two strangers who had saved her. She’d bent a thick bar of metal as easily as a clothes hanger, and we had officially adopted her into our new club. Just the three of us back then. And look at how big our club was now.

  My gaze swept the room, picking out several faces.

  Alex – the kid we had saved from the Land of the Fae – a victim of the changeling operation the Queens still practiced. We had saved him, and then I had kind of adopted him. Except… he no longer looked like the kid I had saved. Somehow, he was now a tall, strapping twenty-year-old. His dark hair and dark eyes didn’t scream bad boy – but he seemed like the guy who would steal the bad boy’s lunch money. Changed, I thought to myself as I let my eyes roam.

  The Huntress – an assassin who had worked for Rumpelstiltskin – once an enemy, but now friend, and babysitter for Alex – not that he needed that kind of help any longer. She was watching Alex out of the corner of her eye, and she looked deeply concerned. Troubled. Change.

  Alucard – once an enemy vampire – now a Daywalker, and ally. Change.

  I realized everyone was staring at me, and that they probably mistook my silence for aloof drunkenness. I sighed. Damn stereotypes. I stood, clearing my throat. I turned to Ashley and Gunnar, opened my mouth to speak and… the words died on my tongue. Because they were staring at me, and the compassion in their eyes told me that nothing needed to be said.

  At least between us three.

  But the crowd did need to hear something.

  I turned to the crowd. “Gunnar is the best stray I’ve ever adopted.” I heard him grumble unhappily and the crowd chuckled. I let the noise die down on its own as I studied the tablecloth. “They say that a dog is a man’s best friend,” I began gently, not looking up at the crowd. “That a dog can draw out the secret pain hidden in a young boy’s soul. And fight off any future pain the young boy may face…” In my peripheral vision, I felt Callie staring at me, her glass held halfway to her glistening lips, forgotten.

  I took a slow sip of my drink, setting it back down before anyone noticed that my hand was shaking slightly. I didn’t want to go into details, because as far as most of the crowd knew, I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth – a wealthy family, given everything I wanted. I’d abused that gift and had been a general nuisance for much of my life. A spoiled brat. I had admitted this to myself long ago. I had no more shame about it. That wasn’t why my hand shook.

  The crowd didn’t know – I hadn’t even known until just recently – that my upbringing had been much darker than they thought. Possibly dark enough to make them fear me.

  That I was a human, a wizard, conceived and born in the Land of the Fae. Almost unheard of. At least I was pretty confident that I was the only one that had grown to adulthood.

  I realized I hadn’t spoken, and that everyone was waiting nervously.

  “Gunnar healed me, true, but I think the saying has it wrong. In fact, it’s bullshit. I think he adopted me. I had a pretty nice upbringing… but like all children, I had my demons. And my parents knew I would need a compass. A conscience. An ally. A… brother.”

  I looked up at Gunnar. He sat unnaturally still, watching me as he read between the lines. Like me, he had only recently learned that my parents had brought us together as children for a very specific reason – to help ease any subconscious memories of a childhood pet I’d had in Fae.

  Talon the Devourer.

  That even though my parents had been forced to wipe my memory of that dark, twisted place to keep my secret safe, they knew part of my heart would always feel broken – I would always feel like a part of me was missing as my subconscious mind struggled to remember my only friend from that other childhood in Fae. So, they had introduced me to Gunnar – a young boy who had also needed healing. A friend. A brother.

  “Gunnar is my role model,” I finally continued. “Always has been. Always will be.” Then I let out a guilty grin. “He sets a pretty high standard, though, so don’t expect miracles out of me. But I think failing to match his standards will still land me in pretty good company.” I let out a tired sigh, letting the laughter and clapping die down as I finished my drink. I glanced at Ashley from under my brow, grimacing. “And now I have to share him with some chick.”

  The crowd erupted in laughter, and I saw Ashley smile faintly, a few tears falling down her cheeks. I smiled back, then lifted my empty glass to the crowd. “To the man who inspires me to be better. And the woman who inspires him to do the same. I couldn’t ask for a better family.”

  Tory was grinning as she gave me an expectant look. I nodded back. In unison, we cheered out, “To Mr. and Mrs. Randulf!”

  Voices shouted out, repeating our toast, and cheering on Gunnar as he kissed Ashley quite thoroughly. I stepped down from the table as I noticed Alucard discreetly trying to catch my attention from across the room. Roland stood beside him, signaling Callie over. The two of us reached the vampires at the same time.

  Alucard cleared his throat. “I just got a call. It seems there is a meet
ing tonight I must attend.”

  “We,” Roland corrected in a low tone.

  Alucard nodded.

  Callie and I waited for more, but nothing came. “You can elaborate any time now.”

  Alucard looked distracted. “The local vampires want to talk to me about something. And I heard the Mastership of St. Louis is up for grabs. Probably a coincidence,” he muttered dryly.

  “Locals?” I frowned. “I never doubted there were other vampires in town, but they must keep one hell of a low profile. I almost never hear about them.”

  Alucard continued in a very low tone so that no one could overhear. “The Sanguine Council – the global authority on vampires, not unlike your Wizard Academy – wants to correct that. I don’t think they were satisfied with the previous Master’s lack of ambition, so they gave him an early retirement.” He gave me a stern look, letting me know this was confidential, and that the body would never be found. “For some reason, they’re very interested in St. Louis. I can’t imagine why,” he added sarcastically, “nothing ever happens here…”

  Thanks to Callie and Roland, I knew about the Sanguine Council.

  Roland spoke up. “Perhaps this is a meeting about the upcoming meeting. To get a feel for you before tossing your name into the hat.” Alucard didn’t look pleased at that prospect.

  “Ah, yes. The dreaded pre-meeting meeting.” Callie watched the three of us, frowning. “Do you need any help? Someone to watch your back?” I asked. That might be fun. Better than antagonizing Raego.

  Alucard shook his head. “No, this needs to be kept in-house. Showing up with an army – you – would send the wrong impression. Especially if they’re intending to toss my name in the hat. And with Roland accompanying me – an ex-Shepherd – I think I’m both safe, and likely to inspire confidence. Or fear.” He shrugged, as if one were as good as the other.

  I glanced at Callie, who looked equally uneasy. Roland was new to the vampire thing.

  “I’m pretty sure a Daywalker can win the vote,” I said, hiding my disappointment that I wasn’t welcome to join them.

  Roland shook his head. “The Sanguine Council has been known to relocate vampires to certain cities they consider valuable. Kansas City is now run by a British Vampire named Haven. I’m sure you’ve heard that his two predecessors were murdered in the span of a year.” He gave the three of us a very level look. I tried not to look guilty since I’d been somewhat involved in both of those murders – once with Alucard when we killed his sister, and once with Callie when we’d chosen the wrong night to rob Master Simon and were framed for his murder. I decided I’d rather not do anything further to attract the attention of the Sanguine Council, not wanting to answer questions about those two deaths.

  “I’m sure the Sanguine Council already has their own prospects in mind for St. Louis,” Roland continued. “And that he or she might have an agenda that does not align with your own. Whereas Alucard is local, powerful, and has prior experience as a Master Vampire. A Daywalker Master Vampire who has had dealings with the other powers in town,” he added meaningfully, meaning Gunnar, Raego and myself. “He’s both qualified and overqualified. But in the event that any of the locals has a different opinion on the matter, I’d like to attend the meeting as well.” He smiled darkly. “And I need to get a better understanding of my new… family, since I will no doubt have to confront the Sanguine Council at some point in the near future.”

  “Long story short, we need to leave,” Alucard added. “You still…” he hesitated. “Doing that thing you mentioned earlier?” He didn’t know if it was a secret so was being careful.

  I nodded. “I found someone else to join me. I’ll be fine.” I didn’t tell him that my backup was standing right beside me, and he didn’t tell me whether he had spoken to Tory or not. Trust. The glue to any solid friendship.

  “Good. Can you extend our apologies to Gunnar and Ashley?”

  I scratched my cheeks, thinking of my price. Callie punched me in the arm. “Yes, we will,” she answered for me. I scowled at her, but finally nodded at Alucard.

  The two of them left without a word, putting their heads together as they walked, minds wholly focused on the meeting ahead. I shared a long look with Callie.

  Tory suddenly stormed over to us, closing her purse with a click. “Ashley just told me in no uncertain terms that she’s about to leave the party to go take care of her husband. He’s getting moody thinking about the fight tomorrow morning, and she wants to remind him of the finer aspects of marriage.” She winked at Callie. “Alucard mentioned an errand you needed to run?” she asked me cautiously.

  I rolled my eyes at her lame attempt at subterfuge. “Callie’s coming.”

  She nodded as if stamping her approval on the subject. “Good.” I was mildly surprised that Alucard had even brought it up with her. I was even more surprised that she seemed interested. Especially with Alucard leaving for his meeting. Ah. Maybe he hadn’t told her about that. Well, that was his problem.

  “Ashley said she’s going to make Gunnar sing tonight. So, if you two are ready, I’d rather leave before that happens. Avoid the mass exodus of the guests.”

  I shrugged, glancing at their table. Ashley was laying it on thick, trying to keep Gunnar in good cheer. Knowing my friend so well, I recognized the tension in his shoulders and the faraway look in his eye.

  “Let’s go talk to his Royal Scaliness, the Obsidian Son. I’ll get the car.”

  Tory grabbed my shoulder as I began to turn away. “I’d rather take the faster way if it’s all the same.” When I arched a brow in question, her lips thinned. “When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” she said, casually glancing back a few tables. The Reds turned away so quickly that it was obvious they had been watching. Yahn was staring into his cup as if trying to divine his future. “I’m sure Alucard can handle them for an hour, but I’d rather not push it.” Callie muffled a cough. Luckily for me, Tory was still staring at the Reds and didn’t notice my sudden panic.

  I couldn’t think of a way to tell her that Alucard had left without accidentally giving away something he maybe hadn’t wanted her to know. But if she stayed and found out Alucard had left, that wouldn’t be good either. So, I kept my nose out of it. “Overprotective much?” I teased.

  She punched me in the chest. Hard. Tory could throw a car when she wanted to. Her punches were not dainty love taps. I rubbed my chest absently, knowing it would bruise. “Fine, fine. Let’s find some privacy. No need to raise questions.” I hoped the teens made the most of tonight, because I was going to pay dearly either way when Tory or Alucard found out.

  I swung back to the hall we had used for the wedding and retrieved my satchel from an empty vase behind the altar. Callie and Tory gave me disapproving stares as I dusted it off and slung it over my shoulder, the strap crossing my chest. Since no one else was nearby, I held out my hands to the two beautiful women. As one, they put on their game faces and grabbed my forearms. I Shadow Walked, ripping our bodies to spiritual shreds and sending us to Raego’s mansion in the blink of an eye. A pretty neat trick.

  Shadow Walking was instantaneous. One second you were leaving, the next you were arriving. With nothing happening in the middle…

  But not this time.

  It seemed to be a night for new experiences.

  Chapter 8

  Callie gasped, and two silver blades whispered out from between the knuckles of both hands, leaving her with four forearm length silver claws.

  Tory snarled, her eyes suddenly flashing green.

  Like a badass, I blinked.

  We stood in a world of shifting black fog about as high as our knees. Other than our own breathing, I heard no sounds, not even the wind that had to be billowing the fog. I also couldn’t smell anything. The black fog stretched as far as the eye could see, almost like we were standing on a black cloud. Everything above the fog was dark gray. No hills, no dips, just flat nothingness. There was no apparent source of light – nothing above us and
nothing on the horizon. But I could still see Tory and Callie, so there had to be light somewhere. I slowly turned in a circle in hopes of finding it. Or a door. Maybe a blinking sign.

  And I suddenly realized we weren’t alone.

  Two tall figures in hooded black robes faced the other direction a dozen paces away. As one, their heads swiveled entirely backwards to stare at us. Their bodies didn’t move at all as they did this, reminding me of an owl’s ability to rotate their necks in almost a complete circle. Also, like owls, they cocked their heads in a sudden jerking motion like they had just spotted mice.

  They also did this in complete silence. Not even a rustle of fabric from their robes.

  They wore masks that resembled Calaveras – white skulls painted with elaborate designs of flowers, vines, or other geometric shapes, and often studded with gems, feathers, or anything else particularly colorful. They were also known as Candy Skulls.

  Like those masks people wore during the Day of the Dead festival, although those were typically made of candy and given to children as gifts.

  Or they were used as an offering to the dead – an afterlife snack.

  Hence the name Candy Skulls.

  I’d seen a few like them once before, and had hoped to never see them again. Nothing had happened – they had just watched me. But I hadn’t wanted to repeat the encounter. Something was… wrong about them. Obviously.

  These two confirmed my suspicions.

  Their bodies slowly rotated to face us without a sound, revealing translucent blades from their sleeves. Either their arms were glass swords, or the robes were long enough to cover their hands.

  The Calaveras lunged at us without a sound and I forcefully yanked the girls back since they both looked about to attack the approaching wraiths. I tripped over something unseen behind me, dragging the two women down with me into the black fog. I sucked in a breath instinctively, not wanting to breathe in the black vapor. But the blackness instantly disappeared and I realized I was lying on a manicured lawn surrounded by ebony statues. The night sky above us glittered with stars. I heard a bird chirp in the distance and released the breath I’d been holding.